1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of product retaining structures for containing and displaying products in stores. More specifically the present invention relates to a display case assembly system which is rapidly and easily assembled with conventional threaded fasteners rather than with traditional display case frame connectors, which entirely conceals the fasteners and any lighting fixture electric wiring, and which produces a display case with a neatly finished appearance, thereby solving long term industry problems with elegant simplicity.
The system includes several extruded closed frame tubes and several extruded laterally breakable frame tubes, which interconnect to form a display case frame and between which opaque and transparent panels are fitted and retained, the breakable frame tubes each including a mounting section through which fasteners are passed into longitudinal ends of perpendicular closed frame tubes and a cover section which snap fits and engages laterally to the mounting section to form a composite tube concealing the fasteners and any fixture wiring. A panel engaging profile slat is secured to a longitudinal mounting face of each closed and breakable frame tubes and has the dual function of mounting and retaining a display case panel and of extending across and blocking longitudinal sliding movement of breakable frame tube cover sections relative to their mounting sections, the longitudinal slat mounting face of each closed frame tube preferably being provided with a profile slat engaging structure in the form of longitudinal tongue elements which slide engagingly into longitudinal groove elements on a face of each profile slat.
Where a display case lighting fixture is provided, wiring is fitted longitudinally through a closed frame tube, and through a wiring port in a breakable frame tube mounting section, and along the mounting section either to enter another closed frame tube or to exit the case frame through a flexible hose. Then a cover section is snap engaged onto the mounting section.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There have long been display cases for jewelry and other store items formed of opaque and transparent panels joined together at various orientations to define closed containers. The methods of forming closed containers have included: molding, in which relatively small items of various shapes can be produced in large quantities such as by injection molding; stamping and bending, in which face material is bent onto itself to form edges, such as by bending sheet metal to construct office furniture; panel processing, in which edges of face panels are joined together by means of dowels, screws, staples or connectors (minifix, rafix or alike) or are simply glued together, such as to manufacture conventional furniture or display cases; and structural edge assembly in which rigid frame structures, typically formed of metal, are joined together to create a desired self-supporting shape into which face panels are inserted to fill gaps between frame members and produce a final closed structure. Since display cases typically must be adaptable and changeable to any of various shapes, must be capable of incorporating any of various selected face materials and incorporating wiring systems for lights and should be economical to produce in small production runs, the structural edge assembly method is best suited.
A problem with prior structural edge assembly methods has been that frame connectors have been used to connect hollow, tubular frame members, often producing sloppy frame member joints and preventing or making difficult concealed passage of electrical wiring through the hollow frame members, and that frame assembly has been very time consuming and awkward. The alternative to frame connectors has been ordinary screw fasteners fitted through frame members with the fastener heads exposed, producing an unattractive and unfinished appearance.
It is thus an object of the present invention to provide a display case assembly system which can produce display cases of an infinite variety of shapes and sizes, which assembles into display cases quickly and easily, and without use of traditional display case frame connectors and with seamless joints, which can include a wide variety of decorative surfaces or panels such as glass, mirror, wood veneers, laminates, acrylics, and sheet metal, and can include various decorative crown and base moldings and has built-in, integral lamp fixtures able to receive linear and PL-13 fluorescent lamps as well as halogen bi-pin G4 bulbs.
It is another object of the present invention to provide such a display case assembly system which is fastened with ordinary screws and which conceals all fasteners and all fixture wiring with snap engagement display case frame elements, which permits the end product display case to be shipped partially or complete disassembled and ready to put together with a single hand screwdriver, with little or no skill.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide such a display case assembly system which produces a display case which is aesthetic in its balanced proportions, requires no quality control and which is efficient in its production, for which only half of the wall panels have to go through a secondary manufacturing process after the initial cut.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide such a display case assembly system in which all display case wall panels are discrete and independent of each other, being interconnected by display case frame members, and which requires fewer display case frame members than many other systems.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide such a display case assembly system for which there is no fixed order of assembly, so that the assembly process can start at virtually any assembly step and progress efficiently to completion. In other words, all panels and case frame elements are totally independent from each other in the final assembly of the product, so that each single panel or case frame element can be removed and replaced without interference with any of the other system elements.
It is finally an object of the present invention to provide such a display case assembly system which produces a display case which is extremely reliable, strong and rigid and which is comparatively inexpensive to manufacture and which saves substantial costs in assembly labor.